Hercule Poirot

How powerful would you consider the irony, if the world’s greatest crime fiction writer was to be sucked into a real life mystery in which she herself takes centre stage? Will Mrs. Christie fall victim to the schemes of a mad doctor or will she use her expertise to escape his dangerous game?

The past comes to haunt a wealthy gentleman in Agatha Christie’s novel the Murder on the Links. In the story Poirot faces a surprising adversary and an old murder mystery is used as the key to solving a new crime.

When Hercule Poirot arrives at The Hollow – home of the Angkatell family – he is greeted by what he perceives to be an artificial murder scene staged for his amusement. Soon the world famous detective understands the horrible truth: in front of his eyes lies a dying man uttering his last words.

Except for the odd footprint and the few remnants of Turkish cigarette butts, Agatha Christie rarely gave us a murder mystery that wasn’t driven by the basic human nature of people. She once said, “Every murderer is probably somebody’s old friend” which makes me think that criminals do, in fact, exist among us and could potentially be one of us. More than that, a sensationalised crime sparks the curiosity of the general public and soon we’re all hooked to our tellies or furiously scrolling down our screens looking for the latest update on the current case gripping the nation. Human nature, then, has a natural tendency to be fascinated by the macabre.

Agatha Christie was born a Victorian but grew up in a time when women had one foot in a crinoline and the other down a trouser leg. The Great War came and people started toppling off their Victorian pedestals into a steadily germinating modernity. More and more women were learning how to drive, volunteering as aid during the war, running establishments and basically entering what were predominantly patriarchal roles; finally, sexual stereotypes and gender roles were being renegotiated.

When Emily Arundell has a horrible accident, everyone blames it on her beloved dog, Bob. Miss Arundell however is afraid that it is her relatives who are trying to murder her and desperately writes to Hercule Poirot for help. Two months later the detective receives the letter – but she is already dead. Poirot begins to investigate the sinister reasons behind her death…